re much more satisfactory as park trees than Chinese
chestnuts. People are so prone to break off branches bearing immature
chestnuts."

Dr. MacDaniels: "Wire guards are excellent to keep mice, rabbits, etc.,
away from your nut trees."

Planting of Nut Trees on Highways Undesirable

R. P. ALLAMAN, Harrisburg, Pa.

Having always opposed this practice when it was under discussion, I have
been asked to prepare an article on the subject. This paper was prepared
in collaboration with Mr. Wilbur H. Simonson, Senior Landscape
Architect, U. S. Bureau of Public Roads, Washington, D. C.

Since the beginning of the roadside improvement demonstration program in
1933 the policy of the Public Roads Administration has never favored
planting of the showy, garden type of fruit and nut trees on highway
roadsides for several reasons:

1. =Traffic Hazards=--Dropping of fruits and nuts on pavements tends to
make surface conditions slippery and dangerous to traffic.

2. =Police Problems=--Ripening of fruits and nuts tends to invite passing
motorists to stop on side of highway pavements to gather the fruits,
adding to traffic hazard. Also such trees tend to invite vandalism by
boys together with clubbing the trees to get down the fruits with the
possible results of not only injury and damage to the trees themselves,
but throwing sticks, stones and clubs into the tree branches is likely
to result in hitting or striking passing motorists and otherwise cause
loss of control of vehicles by drivers, a very dangerous road condition
especially because it is an unexpected situation to have clubs or fruit
come down on the highway when driving through.

This all means more intensive policing of the highway by the responsible
authorities with added costs in maintenance budgets.

3. =Maintenance Problems=--Not only do dropping of fruits, and the results
of vandalism, cause extra cleanup of pavements and drainageways,
(clogging of pipes and gutters with debris from the trees) all hazardous
to traffic; but also the questions of insects and disease problems are
added. This all complicates public maintenance problems and especially
the proper pruning and spraying of the trees.

It is not considered a proper function of public authorities to carry on
operations that compete with private property developments.

Administrative policy and procedures shall encourage the planting of
shade tree types along public highways, and avoid the above des